Tickles and a Card Game
by VioletSerenade
Summary: Randy had only wanted to make a good impression on them, so they would accept him on their team. He didn't think they'd be mad about his winning. He especially hoped they wouldn't have discovered his secret. Friendship. Tickling. Not slash.
1. Chapter 1

Four members of Roar Omega Roar were gathered around a table, playing cards. They had just had a long day of classes, and needed some break time. Finally they had some time to chill.

"Go fish." Reggie muttered.

"I'll see your double and raise you five," Chip decided, throwing in some peanuts.

"Are we even playing the same game?" Javier wanted to know.

"I don't care," Chet exclaimed. "As long as someone wins."

Johnny wandered in slowly, as if savouring the moment.

"Hey, boys," he said nonchalantly. "Just thought you'd like to meet our new recruit."

He paused, then winked sideways to nobody. The boys looked at him funny. But suddenly out of thin air a monster appeared. It was small, slender in appearance with soft purple scales. It had four newt-like feet, and four hands just like them. His smile was wide and sinister. His eyes green as envy. He was perfect for their team.

And then of course, he opened his mouth.

"Hey, guys. Whatcha doin'? Playing cards? Ooh, I love cards!"

That had to be the _nerdiest_ voice they'd ever heard. And he was applying for a spot on their team?

"Just play it cool…" Johnny whispered to him.

"Right." He tried again. "Awesome game of cards, guys. Can I join?"

"Yeah. Okay." They agreed, shifting their eyes. Everyone felt awkward about it, but they didn't dare admit it in front of Johnny.

"So what are we playing?" Randy wondered.

"Uh… Poker. Yeah, Poker." Reggie decided. His group mates nodded.

* * *

Johnny watched the game intently. He almost expected the new recruit to be the first one out, but he did well. As the game went on, players were eliminated. Reggie, Chip and Chet were out. It was down to the last two players now. ROR watched in anticipation.

Finally, Randy laid his cards upside-down on the table.

"All in." He decided, pushing in his pile of Poker chips.

Javier took him up on that and placed the rest of his chips in too.

Johnny stared intensely at the cards as they were flipped over. Javier had a king and an ace. Randy had two aces. He didn't believe it. The kid had won!

The group mates applauded.

"Good game, everyone." The lizard complimented as he was patted on the back. He left the chips on the table as he got up. He didn't play for money, so he felt no need to collect any rewards. However, the team disliked him winning so easily. They felt a stinging humiliation. The RORs, the best of the best, had been defeated by a nerd! He would pay for this. None of them acted like anything was up though, and kept a straight face.

"Thanks. You too." They smiled.

They went off to their separate rooms. Only Johnny stayed behind.

"Wow, that was pretty good," he admitted to Randy. He paused, as if thinking something over. "Hmm…"

"What is it?"

"Well, I was just thinking, what if you pledged to our team? We're short a member and we need someone fast before the Scare Games."

"Sure!" Randy exclaimed.

The large-horned monster looked him over carefully.

"It's just that… we need to test you to see if you're worthy first."

The lizard blinked. What did he mean?

"We need to make sure you're tough, so that you'll put a good impression on the team."

"I can do that…"

"Oh, really…?" Johnny raised an eyebrow.

Randy gulped, his fronds drooping.

* * *

The RORs were having a perfectly good time laying awake in their beds, thinking about their revenge on the newbie, when suddenly, they were torn away from their thoughts by laughter coming from the other room.

Curiously, the monsters peeked out of their rooms. Seeing as they all had the same idea, they went into the rec. room together. They stood gaping at what they saw.

Apparently, Johnny had found out his new friend was ticklish, so now he was drumming his fingers mercilessly on his belly. Randy was sprawled out on the couch, Johnny kneeling on the floor.

"Tickle, tickle, what do you say…?"

"He-he-he-he-he-he-!" the lizard giggled as he wriggled around, trying to escape. "Please, Johnny! Have mercy-he-he-he-he-he-!"

Now, Randy had been ticklish all his life, and his belly scales were especially sensitive. Johnny had tapped him innocently. He wasn't expecting a giggle. He certainly wasn't expecting himself to keep going. Grinning, he'd kept on tapping the lizard's scales. They felt soft and warm, smooth to the touch. The lizard jumped back, trying to get away, but Johnny grabbed his waist and began to tickle faster. Randy collapsed on the couch in a fit of laughter. Using both hands, Johnny quickly drummed his fingers all over his scales before he could turn over. Feeling his precious underbelly under siege, the lizard grabbed at the hands, trying to remove them. Johnny was persistent, though, and didn't stop until he heard the monster beg for mercy through his laughter.

The horned monster stopped, when he saw his group mates gathered to see what was happening.

"Oh, hey guys," he said nonchalantly, "Just testing the new kid to see how tough he is."

They exchanged glances. An idea was forming in their heads.

"Hey, Johnny. Can, uh, we test him?"

Johnny thought about it.

"What? No! Say no!" Randy pleaded from his place on the couch. The monster's hands still held him so he couldn't escape. One person tickling him was one thing. But five? That was way too much. He didn't have a chance!

"Well…" The ROR leader thought. The kid _did_ have a really cute laugh. Besides, he needed to see how much this guy could withstand, and this was a perfect opportunity. "Alright."

Suddenly, three more hands and the blunt side of a claw were tickling the lizard senseless. Johnny stepped back, letting the others take over. Randy's tail swished back and forth as he tried to resist. His eyes squeezed shut. He felt his cheeks get hot. Tears streamed down his face as he giggled uncontrollably. Their tickles increased their intensity. He begged for them to stop.

"P-plea-he-he-he-se, guys-! I can't take it-! A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-!"

"No way." Reggie said without stopping. "You made us look bad back there. You aren't even a ROR, and you had the nerve to beat us at cards. Nobody shows us up without punishment." He turned to his team slyly. "Besides, he's cute like this, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Very cute." Javier agreed. Chip and Chet nodded.

"No-ho-ho-ho-ho-!" Randy giggled, resisting. He wasn't cute. He was scary! But they didn't care. They kept on going, their tickles getting faster and even more intense. More tears fell from the lizard's eyes. He was helpless. What could he do?

Since they would not have mercy, the lizard reached out to the only guy who was not taking revenge on him.

"Plea-he-he-he-he-se-! Jo-ho-ho-ho-ho-hnny-! Sa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ve me-e-e-e-e-e-!" He squeaked desperately.

Johnny had wanted to wait a little longer. But the little guy looked so adorably pathetic that the leader couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Okay, guys. That's enough." Johnny called them off.

They pulled their hands away. Reasonably satisfied with their revenge, the team nodded to their leader. They looked down at the monster on the couch.

"Hope you've learned something from that."

They headed back to their rooms.

The frat leader looked towards the poor little guy left on the couch. Wiping the tears from his eyes, the reptilian saw the remaining ROR member coming towards him and flinched.

"It's okay. I'm not going to tickle you." His voice was calm and steady. The larger monster sat down beside him. "I must say, I'm impressed. I didn't think you'd be able to handle that."

"Thanks." He sighed, wiping more tears from his eyes. "And for rescuing me too."

"Are you alright?" He noticed Randy's sad expression.

"Yeah. It's just that… I wish the cool kids would treat me better. Just because I defeat them in a card game, they have to go and make me look foolish. I wish for once the other monsters could just accept me. I try hard, and I do the best I can. Isn't that enough?"

Johnny looked with sympathy on the boy. "Well, don't worry. I'll go talk to them. You really proved to be worthy of our team."

Randy looked up, having crawled from his previous position to a more dignified sit. "You think so…?"

He nodded, patting him on the back. "Yes. I think you're a really tough kid. You're a wiz at cards, you have that cool ability, both your mother and father were famous scarers, and you're tough. The true makings of a ROR." He grinned. "And don't you worry about not being cool. I can teach you all you need to know about that."

"Really?" Randy grinned. He wiped his eyes again and no more tears fell after that.

* * *

A week later, Randy was officially part of Roar Omega Roar. Now he and his team were playing cards.

Johnny was actually surprised when Randy won. He didn't think he'd have the guts to do that.

Everyone looked shocked, but then they smiled and congratulated him. "Good game."

"Thanks. Better luck next time?"

"Yeah," Chip said. "We'll try harder too."

Javier said something incomprehensible in fly-language.

They seemed to have a good time, talking and patting each other on the back. Things seemed to pretty much check out, so Johnny left the room for some fresh air. Stretching his arms, he felt good as the Autumn wind blew past him. Everything seemed normal, so after a few seconds he returned to the house.

When he came back, he was shocked. _They dare disobey my direct orders!_

"A-ha-ha! Please-! It's not my fault you lost-! E-he-he-he!" Randy squealed. The team was tickling him all over again. They turned around. Seeing that Johnny was back, they quickly ran off.

"Bunch of sore losers…" he cursed. He helped his teammate up from the floor.

"Thanks," he said, still giggling.

"Why did you try to win when you knew what was coming?"

The little guy chuckled. "Ah, it was worth it. You should have seen the looks on their faces! It was like they were so confident that I'd lose on purpose, they never saw it coming! Plus, I won this bag of chips." He grinned, holding up his prize. "Monster Crisps: made from only the finest pieces of garbage."

Johnny couldn't help but feel happy for him.

"Besides, I enjoy a good tickle every now and then."

Johnny smirked. "Really?" He blinked. Randy nodded his head. "Oh, wow. You know, that's really clever."

"Yeah, well. Don't tell the guys, okay? If they find that out they might resort to giving me a worse punishment."

"Don't worry, dude. I won't tell," the gray-furred monster replied. "Everyone has something they'd rather others not know."

"Including you?"

"Uhh… No. I'm just speaking in general terms. Basically everyone but me has a secret, is what I meant."

"Ahh…"

* * *

Later on, when Johnny was in his bedroom alone, he shuffled with something inside his duffel-bag.

"Aw… did you miss me while I was gone? I'm sorry… Daddy gets busy during the day…" He patted whatever he had in the bag. Then he zipped it up and went back to bed.

What no one knew is, he snuck the toy under his jacket as he made his way down the hall for some water. When he returned, he curled up in bed and hugged the stuffed animal close to his chest. Looking it over, he didn't realize he had a big goofy grin on his face. He pulled his blanket over them, so if someone suddenly came in, they wouldn't ask why he's cuddling a toy kitten. It had been one of his fondest childhood items. He whispered to it before falling asleep.

"Pudding missed me, didn't she? Yes… yes, she did. Daddy would never leave her for long, though, would he?"

What Johnny didn't realize, was one of his teammates had heard his whispering, since he'd left the door ajar. Randy snickered to himself. But he knew what would happen if he told on Johnny.

No, this was a secret he would keep only to himself. And his diary, of course.

* * *

_A/N: I noticed there were no tickle stories for Randy, even though it's been requested before. So I wrote my own. Mine is a little different from the other ideas out there, but hopefully this idea works too. I like Randy a lot, by the way, and wouldn't want to make him too uncomfortable for long. The adorableness of Randy resisting a tickle was too much for me though, and I just had to write it._

_It took a while editing this to make it all make sense. But here's the final result. Hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are highly appreciated._


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: This was originally a oneshot, but since I got some requests to continue it, here's part 2. :) _

_Remember, kids, you can't just tickle someone and expect no retaliation._

* * *

It was an ordinary day for the members of Roar Omega Roar. Classes were over for the weekend. After scaring practice, they relaxed on the couch reading a book of some kind. It was deep violet, with pink streaks going out from the middle to the top right corner like a rainbow. One of the guys had randomly found it on a desk and was now reading out loud from it to his friends. They gathered around him on the floor, lying on their stomachs, intrigued.

"_Can't wait to start college. Going to meet many people and be the coolest guy in school,_" Javier read.

"Ooh! Big dreams!" Chet remarked.

"_University is filled with monsters of all kinds. I can't wait to meet some of them. We're going to have a lot of fun here._"

"Ah, you should hope so." Reggie commented.

"_Hopefully it won't be like my past school experiences. I hope people will like me. My roommate says I should get rid of my glasses. I don't know, it's hard to see without them._"

No one spoke as he continued.

"_He also says I should use my invisibility to my advantage. I've never really thought of that before, but hey, maybe it could work. I'm so nervous going to my first day of class. What if I slip up and it's high school all over again? I can hear their voices now. "Ha, ha! Look at the invisible dweeb. Let's scare him some more so that he'll do it again!"_" Javier blinked as he read this. He'd had no idea the kid had been bullied in the past. Everyone was silent as they waited for their friend to continue.

"_I've never really had a friend before. Well, besides Mike. So I hope to get on everyone's good side when I go to this party. All the pretty sorority girls are going to be there, and if I'm lucky, maybe one of them will like me and want to go out with me! I've never really had a girlfriend before, so this is quite an opportunity! Well, gotta go. I've got some baking to do._" Javier paused for a second as he flipped the page.

"Well?!" Chet cried impatiently. "What happened next?!"

Everyone was so emotionally invested in Randy's story that they were no longer making fun of him.

"_Sad news. The night went all wrong. Someone pushed into me and made all of my cupcakes fall on my face. The girls I tried to make friends with laughed at me! And my cupcakes… my poor little cupcakes! I worked so hard on them, and they all went to waste! I got out of there as soon as I could. Water fell from my eyes like crazy. I cleaned up in the bathroom before I came back to my room. How could anyone do that to me? I wonder. I never bothered them… But it doesn't matter now. I guess I'll start cleaning up while I wait for my roomie to return. He sure has turned this place into a mess…_"

You could hear a pin drop in between the pauses their reader made.

"_Mike returned, and he helped me clean up the room. Apparently it was Sullivan's fault. The big jerk. What's he doing barging into our room like that, anyway?! After we were done, we talked about our nights. Mike managed to cheer me up. I didn't think he could do it, but he did. He told me that I was a great guy and that I could do pretty much anything I set my mind to. His words of encouragement are really powerful. That's what makes him my best friend. Plus, he found my ticklish spot. (Which is pretty much my entire belly). He wouldn't stop until I swore to him I was happy again. So, yeah. I guess it wasn't all bad. Tomorrow I'm going to show everyone what kind of a scarer I can be. So, yeah, it'll be fun._"

Javier kept reading the diary passages, his group mates becoming more and more intrigued. They already knew how Randy had been allowed to join them when Johnny saw his high performance score posted outside Professor Knight's office. They also knew how nervous Randy had been about joining them, but how proud he was to be a part of their group.

They were pleased to hear he didn't hate them after his initiation, and how he said they had actually grown on him. They did not expect to hear what came next.

"_Dear Diary, you'll never guess who I saw cuddling a toy kitten. That's right, Worthington himself!_"

That's all the team needed to hear. They burst into laughter.

"No way! Johnny?!" Chet cried out. "That is just too priceless!"

* * *

Johnny was training Randy overtime, since he was new, and needed to learn all of their tricks before the Scare Games.

When they finally returned to the house, they found their team laughing hysterically.

Randy's jaw dropped as he saw what book they were holding. He felt his heart crush. They were laughing at him.

"No! You guys didn't!" His eyes glazed over. "You… you read my personal writings. That… that was private…"

Johnny stepped forward. "Hey, stop laughing. We all have personal secrets."

"Including you!" His own second-hand man cried.

Johnny demanded, "What are you talking about?"

"We… aren't laughing at what you wrote…" Javier said to Randy between giggles. "We're laughing… because… Ohahaha!" He burst, not able to finish his sentence.

Johnny snatched up the diary. His eyes skimmed over the latest journal entry. Suddenly, the room seemed to darken. He flipped the diary over. It was labelled: "Randy Boggs." Randy stepped back as he saw Johnny's deadly look.

"I'll deal with you later." He stated in a quiet tone that hinted he was very mad. Randy hesitantly took the diary he was offered. He read over the entry they'd found, and his stomach lurched. He could only imagine what Johnny had in store for him.

"Right now," the leader continued. "We need to teach these guys to mind their own business."

"H-how…?"

"Remember when those guys tickled you when they were supposed to make you feel welcome? Well, how about we take a little revenge on them…?"

"R-revenge?" He didn't like the concept of revenge. His parents had always taught him to turn the other cheek. But right now, he was frightened and hurt. And if he didn't take Johnny's side, he wouldn't really have a side to be on. "O-okay, I guess…"

"Great. I'll take these guys. You take the other two."

Johnny grabbed Reggie and Chet, making them pay for making fun of him.

"Ahahaha! Sto-ha-ha-ha-p! We're sorry, Johnny!"

Randy gulped. Johnny had left him with the larger of the four.

Suddenly, a deep anger and thirst for revenge enveloped him. These guys were no better than those bullies from the past. He'd never had the chance to get those high school jerks back for the things they did to him. But now he had the chance to get revenge on these meanies.

Slipping off his sweater, the monster turned invisible.

Johnny was already tickling the other two teammates. Javier and Chip saw what was happening and tried to run for it. But they tripped over something invisible.

Randy appeared to them, looking very menacing, and started tickling them both at once with his multiple arms. They tried to grab at him, but he disappeared again. They could no longer pinpoint his source, so they were left on the ground, laughing helplessly.

"Had enough yet?" came a taunting voice.

"Ye-he-he-he-sss…!" Javier giggled. "I'm sorry we read your personal writings!"

"And…?"

"And for how we treated you before!" Chip finished.

"Hmm…" Randy looked them over. "I'm not sure if you're sincere."

The two teammates looked to each other for answers.

Seeing as they couldn't prove their sincerity, Randy kept going.

"Wait!" Javier announced. "I ha-ha-have something to sa-haha-y!"

The lizard stopped and listened.

"After reading your personal writings, we realized we liked that person in the story. We sympathized with him. We didn't want him to be sad anymore. And we wanted to be his friends. I know that seems like a rushed thing to say, but I mean it. We only laughed because of Johnny. We're sorry about that, too!" He added, not wanting to offend his leader. "We just... didn't know you before. Now we do. I hope we can be friends, even after what we put you through."

Randy blinked, taking in his words.

"Yeah, what he said!" The other monsters agreed.

The lizard mon sighed. He looked to the horned monster. "Think they've had enough?"

Johnny nodded, finally releasing the other two. "And if I ever catch you making fun of me again, it will be a thousand times worse!"

After he released them, the reptilian looked up at his teammates with hopeful eyes. "You meant what you said…?"

They nodded.

"I mean, look at you!" Chet exclaimed. "You just took on two monsters much bigger than you!"

Randy beamed. "So, you think I'm… cool…?" He squeaked, not quite believing it.

"Well," Johnny said, taking over. "We're cool. And as long as you stick with us, you're cool too."

"But I thought he was-" the crab started, but he was shooed away.

"Oh, my. Is it ten o'clock already?" Johnny faked. "I believe that means little monsters should be in bed, unless they want to be _tired_ for their next day of training…"

The team closed their mouth and headed off to bed.

Johnny picked up the purple diary and handed it back to its owner.

"Th-thanks…"

Johnny didn't reply.

"Y-you're not mad a-about me writing about…" he trailed off. It would be easy to see why someone would be mad about such a thing. He never meant for any of them to find out! It was just supposed to be a fun memory from college he would keep safe and look back upon years from now. He didn't mean for it to get out of hand…

"...About my embarrassing secret?!" Johnny saw the lizard turn invisible at the sudden increase of his voice. He breathed deep. Alright... Be calm. Don't want to scare the kid off. His expression softened. "Well, truth is that I am. You can't just go writing things like that and then put your journal in the reach of guys like that!"

"I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't know…" His eyes were so sad as to pierce the heart of anyone with the slightest hint of sympathy for him, and his voice was like a rejected little bird.

Johnny turned away, unable to handle that much emotion at once. Then he looked back at Randy with a grin. "Aw… Who can stay mad at you? C'mere…" He pulled the guy into a hug.

While the reptilian was still uneasy about Johnny's sudden change in temperament, he returned the hug with all four arms. They pulled away. The ROR leader grinned maliciously.

"However, this doesn't mean you get to escape punishment…"

* * *

"He-he-he-he-! Ple-hehehehe-ase-! Sta-hahaha-hp!" Randy cried, struggling in Johnny's grip.

"Sorry, Boggs, but your cuteness won't get you out of this one." He'd pinned the little guy to the floor and was now tickling his sensitive little belly.

"No-ho-ho-ho!" the lizard squealed. He squirmed and kicked, but it was no use. Johnny would keep doing this for as long as he wanted to.

The gray-furred monster continued for about a minute or so. Randy laughed so much he could barely talk. When he saw his teammate exhausted, Johnny finally stopped, letting him breathe. Having fulfilled his punishment, Randy was relieved when he was finally let go of and helped up.

"He-he! I promise, I'll never betray you again!" He was still smiling as he recovered, his eyes squeezed shut adorably.

"That's my man," the horned monster grinned, putting his hand on his teammate's shoulder. "Now go get some rest. We have a lot of hard work tomorrow."


End file.
